Assistant Nursing Officer John Bosco Otim Appearing Before Buganda Road Court.
The Buganda Road Chief Magistrates Court has remanded a 37-year-old Assistant Nursing Officer to prison over allegations of conducting an illegal surgical procedure without authorisation, registration, or a valid practising licence.
John Bosco Otim, who is attached to Atutur General Hospital in Kumi District, was on Monday afternoon produced before Chief Magistrate Ritah Neumbe Kidasa and charged with three counts: practising without a licence, practising medicine without registration or authority, and committing a negligent act likely to spread infection.
Prosecution alleges that Otim has been practising as an Assistant Nursing Officer without a valid licence from the Uganda Nurses and Midwives Council. Court records indicate that Otim’s licence had expired on December 12, 2014. According to court records, on April 30, 2025, Otim allegedly performed an umbilical hernia operation on a patient identified as Michael Aisu, despite lacking the qualifications and authority to carry out such a procedure.
The prosecution told the court that Otim removed the patient from the ward and transferred him to a room within the hospital premises that was not designated as an operating theatre and lacked the required sterile equipment. Investigations into the matter began after the State House Health Monitoring Unit received information from hospital officials indicating that a medical doctor who had been officially scheduled to operate later discovered that the surgery had already been carried out.
Otim was arrested on May 2, 2025, following an intelligence-led operation and detained at Kumi Central Police Station. Prosecutors said Otim admitted to conducting the surgery and acknowledged that it was beyond his scope of practice.
The State further alleges that by conducting the surgery in an unsterilised environment, Otim committed a negligent act likely to spread infection or disease dangerous to life, contrary to Section 154 of the Penal Code Act. He is also charged under Section 47(b)(f) of the Medical and Dental Practitioners Act for unlawfully practising medicine without registration or authority.
Prosecution also told the court that Otim allegedly demanded and received 100,000 from the patient. An identification parade was conducted, during which the victim identified Otim as the person who operated on him. State prosecutor Grace Amy informed the court that investigations are still ongoing and requested more time to conclude inquiries.
The court consequently remanded Otim until March 2, 2026, when he is expected to return from Luzira Prison. Otim’s case adds to a growing list of recent prosecutions linked to unauthorised medical procedures. In July 2025, the same court sentenced Francis Taulula, a 27-year-old quack doctor, to two years in prison for impersonating a medical practitioner and causing the deaths of three patients through unauthorised surgeries.
Taulula was also ordered to refund 21.6 million Shillings to the Government of Uganda after admitting to 15 criminal charges, including forgery and obtaining medical registration by pretence. Court documents showed that Taulula used forged academic papers from Mount Kenya University and Gulu University to obtain provisional registration, which enabled him to intern at Hoima Regional Referral Hospital in 2022, where he performed unsupervised surgical procedures.
His actions were linked to the deaths of three patients. In another case, in September 2025, three individuals, including medical personnel, were remanded over the death of 37-year-old Ritah Nansubuga, who died during a botched caesarean section at a private clinic in Mulago.
A fourth suspect, accused of masquerading as a medical doctor and referring the deceased to the facility, was still on the run on charges of manslaughter. The cases have renewed scrutiny on regulation and oversight within Uganda’s health sector, particularly regarding the enforcement of professional standards and licensing.
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